Blood analyser with image plane analysis and related methods

Abstract

A blood analyser and related methods, in particular a method of analysing a blood sample is disclosed. The blood analyser comprises a memory, an interface, and one or more processors. The blood analyser is configured to obtain image data of a prepared blood sample; select a first image associated with a first image plane of the prepared blood sample from the image data; characterize the first image, wherein the characterization of the first image comprises to determine a first set of cell regions belonging to the first image plane; and determine a first blood parameter based on the first set of cell regions.

1 . A blood analyser, the blood analyser comprising a memory, an interface, and one or more processors, the blood analyser being configured to:
 obtain image data of a prepared blood sample, the image data comprising data of a stack of images, where each image of the stack of images is associated with an image plane, wherein each image plane is associated with a different height along a z-axis of the prepared blood sample;   select a first image associated with a first image plane of the prepared blood sample from the image data;   characterize the first image, wherein the characterization of the first image comprises determining a first set of cell regions belonging to the first image plane, wherein the cell regions are indicative of one or more platelets; and   determine a first blood parameter based on the first set of cell regions.   
     
     
         2 . The blood analyser according to  claim 1 , wherein the blood analyser is configured to select, from the image data, a first distal image associated with a first distal image plane on a distal side of the first image plane, and wherein the determining of the first set of cell regions is based on the first distal image. 
     
     
         3 . The blood analyser according to  claim 1 , wherein the blood analyser is configured to select, from the image data, a first proximal image associated with a first proximal image plane on a proximal side of the first image plane, and wherein the determining of the first set of cell regions is based on the first proximal image. 
     
     
         4 . The blood analyser according to  claim 1 , wherein the characterization of the first image comprises determining a first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions in the first image. 
     
     
         5 . The blood analyser according to  claim 4 , wherein determining the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions comprises determining a first background image of the first image, and wherein the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions is based on the first background image. 
     
     
         6 . The blood analyser according to  claim 5 , wherein determining the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions comprises determining a first contrast image based on the first background image and the first image, and wherein the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions is based on the first contrast image. 
     
     
         7 . The blood analyser according to  claim 6 , wherein determining the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions comprises determining a first binary image based on the first contrast image, and wherein the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions is based on the first binary image. 
     
     
         8 . The blood analyser according to  claim 7 , wherein determining the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions comprises identifying connected regions in the first binary image, and wherein the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions is based on the connected regions in the first binary image. 
     
     
         9 . The blood analyser according to  claim 8 , wherein determining the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions comprises determining whether each respective connected region satisfies an area criterion, and in accordance with the determination that the respective connected region satisfies the area criterion, including the respective connected region satisfying the area criterion as a candidate cell region in the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions. 
     
     
         10 . The blood analyser according to  claim 9 , wherein the area criterion comprises a threshold cell region area in the range of 1 μm 2  to 25 μm 2 . 
     
     
         11 . The blood analyser according to  claim 4 , wherein the characterization of the first image comprises determining whether each of the respective candidate cell regions of the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions satisfies a first criterion, and in accordance with the determination that a respective candidate cell region of the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions respectively satisfies the first criterion, including the respective candidate cell region in a first candidate set of cell regions, and wherein the first set of cell regions is based on the first candidate set of candidate cell regions. 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The blood analyser according to  claim 1 , wherein the first image plane is associated with a first height in the prepared blood sample. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The blood analyser according to  claim 1 , wherein the blood analyser is configured to:
 select a second image associated with a second image plane of the prepared blood sample from the image data; and   characterize the second image, wherein the characterization of the second image comprises determining a second set of cell regions belonging to the second image plane;   wherein determining a first blood parameter is based on the second set of cell regions.   
     
     
         18 . The blood analyser according to  claim 17 , wherein determining a first blood parameter based on the first set of cell regions and the second set of cell regions comprises determining a first number of cell regions in the first set of cell regions and a second number of cell regions in the second set of cell regions, and wherein the first blood parameter is based on the first number and the second number. 
     
     
         19 . The blood analyser according to  claim 1 , wherein a distance between two image planes of the image data is in the range of 1 μm to 10 μm. 
     
     
         20 . A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, having thereon a computer program comprising program instructions, the computer program being loadable into a data processing unit and configured to cause execution of the operations according to  claim 1  when the computer program is run by the data processing unit. 
     
     
         21 . The blood analyser according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the blood analyser is configured to select, from the image data, a first distal image associated with a first distal image plane on a distal side of the first image plane, and wherein the determining of the first set of cell regions is based on the first distal image;   wherein the blood analyser is configured to select, from the image data, a first proximal image associated with a first proximal image plane on a proximal side of the first image plane, and wherein the determining of the first set of cell regions is based on the first proximal image;   wherein the characterization of the first image comprises determining whether each of the respective candidate cell regions of the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions satisfies a first criterion, and in accordance with the determination that a respective candidate cell region of the first initial candidate set of candidate cell regions respectively satisfies the first criterion, including the respective candidate cell region in a first candidate set of cell regions, and wherein the first set of cell regions is based on the first candidate set of candidate cell regions; and   wherein the first criterion is based on a first distal contrast parameter of the first distal image and a first proximal contrast parameter of the first proximal image, and wherein determining whether each of the respective candidate cell regions of the first candidate set of cell regions satisfies a first criterion comprises determining whether a first contrast parameter of the first contrast image is larger than the first distal contrast parameter and larger than the first proximal contrast parameter.   
     
     
         22 . The blood analyser according to  claim 21 , wherein the characterization of the first image comprises determining whether each of the respective cell regions of the first candidate set of candidate cell regions satisfies a second criterion, and in accordance with the determination that a respective cell region of the first candidate set of candidate cell regions respectively satisfies the second criterion, including the respective cell region in a second candidate set of candidate cell regions, and wherein the first set of cell regions is based on the second candidate set of candidate cell regions. 
     
     
         23 . The blood analyser according to  claim 1 , wherein the blood analyser is configured to select, from the image data, a first distal image associated with a first distal image plane on a distal side of the first image plane, and wherein the determining of the first set of cell regions is based on the first distal image;
 wherein the blood analyser is configured to select, from the image data, a first proximal image associated with a first proximal image plane on a proximal side of the first image plane, and wherein the determining of the first set of cell regions is based on the first proximal image;   wherein the first image plane is associated with a first height in the prepared blood sample; and   wherein the first distal image plane is associated with a first distal height in the prepared blood sample, the first distal height being different from the first height, and wherein the first proximal image plane is associated with a first proximal height in the prepared blood sample, the first proximal height being different from the first height.   
     
     
         24 . The blood analyser according to  claim 1 , wherein the blood analyser is configured to select, from the image data, a first distal image associated with a first distal image plane on a distal side of the first image plane, and wherein the determining of the first set of cell regions is based on the first distal image;
 wherein the blood analyser is configured to select, from the image data, a first proximal image associated with a first proximal image plane on a proximal side of the first image plane, and wherein the determining of the first set of cell regions is based on the first proximal image; and   wherein a first distal distance between the first image plane and the first distal image plane, and a first proximal distance between the first image plane and the first proximal image plane are equal.